SEOUL– South Korea’s Vice Defense Minister Shin Beom-chul met with a visiting group of U.S. experts Friday to discuss North Korean threats, the bilateral alliance and other issues, his ministry said.
The group included John Hamre, the president of the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), its Senior Vice President for Asia Victor Cha and Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea. They came here to attend a forum earlier this week.
Shin stressed that Pyongyang’s continued provocations, including the recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, and its nuclear weapons pose a “serious” threat to peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the international community, according to the ministry.
Shin also noted that Seoul has been closely cooperating with Washington to effectively deter and respond to the North’s nuclear and missile threats, and explained Seoul’s newly unveiled Indo-Pacific strategy.
The strategy focuses on promoting freedom, peace and prosperity in the region, while seeking to cement the “rules-based” international order.
The U.S. experts concurred on the strategy’s general direction while pledging to actively support the allies’ efforts to strengthen the credibility of America’s extended deterrence, the ministry said.
Extended deterrence refers to America’s stated commitment to mobilize all U.S. military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.
Source: Yonhap News Agency